When Henley Business School celebrated its 70th birthday, event organiser Nikki
Cooper wanted some touches of magic for the occasion, so after deciding with
colleagues that special lighting could be the answer, they contacted alumnae Phil
Ion, MD of UK-based LED manufacturer CORE Lighting … and asked if he could help.
“I was absolutely delighted to be involved again with Henley and especially with its
70th anniversary,’ said Phil, who gained an MBA at the world-renowned, triple
accredited business school.
They were looking for a big WOW factor, so Phil demonstrated the CORE ColourPoint
up-lighter and immediately suggested lighting the front façade of the main grade II
listed Greenlands building.
The striking 19th century country house, once the home to son of famous stationary
brand founder William Henry Smith (WH Smith) is conveniently finished in white
stucco which is ideal for taking light … so it was an obvious choice for creating that
initial impact for guests.
Phil further suggested that the inside of the dining hall could be highlighted in warm
white tones for the gala dinner, enhancing the atmosphere and mood.
In turn, he suggested they contact rental and installation specialist, Wireless
Lighting, who supply wireless and LED products for numerous event and
entertainment applications, and have a large inventory of CORE fixtures.
Thirty ColourPoints – popular for their quick deployment, long battery life, high
quality homogenised and even output – were utilised in total.
Twelve were deployed around the porticoed entrance and all down the length of the
Greenlands building, highly effectively illuminating it in the distinctive signature
blue of the Henley Business School logo.
The other 18 ColourPoint units were positioned around the dining hall, up-lighting
architectural columns and other features, with some ensconced in recesses grazing
up the floor to ceiling windows. It looked stunning, creating a pleasant, warm white
glow which elevated the feel and vibe of the evening from that of a standard gala
dinner to something altogether different, more exciting and vibrant.
Phil additionally loaned a couple of CORE Flood30 floodlights to light two large trees
at the entrance and provide some extra impact to arriving guests.
“It looked absolutely beautiful and achieved the exact results we wanted,’
commended Nikki, adding that the speed and efficiency of the set-up was also
noteworthy.
Emma Perrin from Wireless Lighting said, “It was a real pleasure to work with such
great architecture. Enhancing it with light was interesting and required a lot of
attention to detail in terms of fixture placement, but that was all part of the
challenge and reward of the project’.
Most on the high profile guest list – which included a selection of highly successful
entrepreneurs, management executives, captains of industry and alumnae – noticed
the lighting and Nikki and her team received numerous compliments on the
fantastic presentation and ambience.
